What patterns or ideas does Steinbeck seem to follow or hold to in the book Of Mice and Men? Anything to do with themes, personalities, emotions, etc.

Much like Steinbeck’s short novel The Pearl, Of Mice and Men is a parable that tries to explain what it means to be human. Essentially, man is a very small part of a very large universe; in the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and leave very little, lasting mark. Yet deep inside all people is a longing for a place in nature—the desire for the land, roots, and a place to call “home.” The struggle for such a place is universal, and its success is uncertain.

In sharing his vision of what it means to be human, Steinbeck touches on several themes: the nature of dreams, the nature of loneliness, man’s propensity for cruelty, powerlessness and economic injustices, and the uncertainty of the future.